Austin's Coffee Community Packs Fair Market for Second Festival

A Two-Day Gathering of Austin's Coffee Scene

The second edition of the Austin Coffee Festival ran from September 30 to October 1 at Fair Market in downtown Austin, bringing roasters and coffee-adjacent businesses together to present their products and fresh ideas to consumers and serious caffeine fans. Craft Hospitality LLC, the group also responsible for the San Francisco Coffee Festival and the DC Coffee Festival, organized the event.

More than 2,500 people passed through the festival, where over twenty roasters set up booths. The lineup stretched from Austin fixtures such as Greater Goods Roasting and Merit Coffee to newer names including Haciendo Coffee. Those attending included established business owners studying emerging trends as well as casual enthusiasts who came to chat with their favorite roasters and get a caffeine fix.

Among the crowd was Jacob M., an Austin resident who also came last year. He was there with a friend who left a job as a data analyst to work as a barista.

Jacob said his friend's new career has taught him more about coffee, and he was eager to keep learning at this year's event. "There's a lot of people, a lot of knowledge, and a lot of really unique things [roasters] are doing," he said. "It's just really interesting to see what [coffee shops] are doing beyond the core processes."

Drinks That Went Beyond the Usual Menu

Jacob singled out Red Horn Coffee and Brewing, which was pouring samples of a drink called the Latte Shooter: honey simple syrup and cold oat milk topped with steamed cold brew. Served, fittingly, in small shooter glasses, it reworks a Red Horn drink called the Bee Bee Gee that appears on the menu at the brand's two retail locations. "I wanted to bring [the drink] but in a non latte form," says Marco Leal, Red Horn's director of coffee.

Roasters used the event to show off new and sometimes unusual coffee creations drawn from their menus. At the Greater Goods booth, visitors could try a decaf cold brew made with cascara syrup and oat milk. Wild Gift Coffee, a small Austin-based roastery, bought a coffee from Columbia with the specific aim of roasting it for this festival.

"This is a unique opportunity for us to be able to reach as many people as possible," said Clancy Rose, co-founder of Wild Gift. With no retail storefronts, Wild Gift relies on events like this one to connect with customers and raise brand awareness. "Both years have been really good. Last year was a test run—we didn't know what to expect, and we were a little under-prepared, but we came back ready to rock this year. It's been a great event."

A Rare Storefront-Free Channel to Customers

For Wild Gift—and for other roasteries without a retail presence, such as Creature Coffee, Sightseer, and Haciendo Coffee—the festival serves as an important point of contact for reaching new customers. "We've had a ton of consumers, a ton of people that are new to us, and we're new to them," said Billy Wiginton of Haciendo Coffee. Customers were not the only new connections being made. "Some of the other roasters have wanted to come and see what we're about, especially since we're not in Austin. It's been nice to meet other roasters and build some new relationships."

For many roasters, meeting new people was a recurring theme. Michael Vaclav, owner of Medici Roasting, said that despite 17 years in Austin, people still approach the table unaware of Medici. "It's a fun way to get your coffee in front of new people," he said. Leal echoed the sentiment: "You can't beat the face-to-face interaction you can get at events like this."

Beyond the Roasters

Roasters were not the only exhibitors. Visitors could also stop by booths from Kimbala Chai, a local chai company; Oatly; Minor Figures; Mill-King, a Texas-based dairy farm; and Loveramics, a ceramics company that produces cups and wares for cafes around the world.

Oatly and Minor Figures each introduced two new products at the festival: Oatly brought a new oat-based creamer, and Minor Figures debuted a new chai base intended for cafes. "We are here at the Austin Coffee Festival because we imagine people flocking here love coffee just as much as we do," says Francesca Salac, director of marketing for Minor Figures. "We're excited to introduce them to the product and give them a chance to try it."

Judging by the lines at the Minor Figures booth—and at every other booth—Austin residents were clearly ready to try new things and celebrate their love of coffee. Delight was easy to find throughout the festival: around every corner, people were enjoying inventive coffee drinks, making new friends, and perhaps discovering a favorite roaster or a brand they had not known existed.